Possible ban on the leaping FG/XP block...

[oldrover]

NFL rule changes: Anti-celebration penalties could relax; 'leaping' field goal blocks under fire

The NFLPA is worried it's an injury risk.

It's certainly spectacular, featuring an elite athletic leaping clear over a pile of bodies. However, it does come with significant risk of injury. That was the point made by NFL Players Association president Eric Winston Wednesday when he said that the players union will be lobbying the NFL to eliminate the play from the game.

From The Washington Post:

"That was something we expressed. . . . [It's] just becoming a really, really dangerous play and now especially because everyone's on the lookout for it, right?" Winston said. "So someone's ankles are going to get clipped. They're going to go ass over teakettle, and either someone's going to get landed on or he's going to fall on his head. And they're really bad injuries, too. It's not like, 'Oh, he could sprain his ankle.' Those are neck injuries. Those are bad knee injuries. We expressed that to them, and I hope they follow through on that."

Maybe it is too dangerous...I don't know...

...but I freakin' love it anyway.

 

[Ross12]

FFS. Playing football is an injury risk... It's special teams...

 

[The Gr8est]

Is there anything else, that the Pats are good at, that needs to be banned?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Is there anything else, that the Pats are good at, that needs to be banned?

Winning.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

AS the gif shows....it's the Raven's that were blocked.....gee what a coincidence that the rule is being looked at to be changed after a play executed within the rules by the Pats, affects them negatively.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Winning.

The NFL hasn't figured that one out yet...

 

[XLIX]

I have no problem with teams doing it while it is legal, but the play should indeed be banned. It is ridiculous that you cannot line up opposite the center for safety reasons but can perform that flying leap maneuver.

The NFLPA is not engaging in some anti-Patriots conspiracy, and the writer is mistaken to say "the Patriots popularized" that play. He obviously never heard of Kam Chancellor

 

[K. Dog]

What's the complete list of Patriots strategies the league banned? Off-hand:

- Patriots are good on special teams, so change the kickoff rules to make them less important.

- Patriots are good with complex strategies, so change the ineligible receiver rules to simplify defense task.

- Patriots can leap over line in field goals and PAT so ban those

- Patriots had a big, fast tight-end so change the way offensive pass interference is enforced to make it harder for him to play

Any others?

 

[chasa]

What's the complete list of Patriots strategies the league banned? Off-hand:

- Patriots are good on special teams, so change the kickoff rules to make them less important.

- Patriots are good with complex strategies, so change the ineligible receiver rules to simplify defense task.

- Patriots can leap over line in field goals and PAT so ban those

- Patriots had a big, fast tight-end so change the way offensive pass interference is enforced to make it harder for him to play

Any others?

Patriots are good in bad weather, all stadiums are not domed.

 

[oldrover]

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

 

[libra957]

What's next? Banning Tom Brady? Oh wait....

 

[The Gr8est]

Patriots are good in bad weather, all stadiums are not domed.

Doesn't matter.

All your domes are belong to us!

 

[sb1]

Still a BS flag on McClellin in the Super Bowl. If the refs calls that play right there is no OT.

 

[Dorito Dink]

Is there anything else, that the Pats are good at, that needs to be banned?

Well since you asked, direct snaps to running backs are now banned.

 

[Ring 6]

It is funny though that other teams have been doing this but as soon as the patriots do it's time to ban it.

 

[patfanken]

It's getting so the next step will be to make all FG attempts free kicks, because with every passing year the league has created rules that make it almost impossible to block a PAT or FG.

You can't pull an OLman. You can't even touch the C. It's almost humanly impossible to attack it from the outside, even if you didn't block the guy (and they do) given the angle and distance before the snap an kick get off.

In fact if they do away to "the leap" the only way to block a kick would require a massive screw up by the snapper and/or the holder, and give the specialization and the amount of time they work on their craft, that become less likely every year.

Here's a solution. End the specialization of the kicking game. All kickers, snappers and holder have to play another position on the team. Lets go back to the 6o's when Gino was a sold WR, the snappers were often the team's starting C, and all the holder's were back up QB's

It's gotten to the point where an 84% success rate is not longer acceptable for FG kicker, based on the criticism of Gotskowski is getting. It doesn't matter if missed are from beyond the 50. For example after the sack in the superbowl, the Falcons were pushed back to a point where a FG attempt would have been 53 yds, and the way people talked, no one doubted he would have made it, if not for the holding call the next play.

Something needs to be done to make the FG more than an extra point. Narrowing the goal posts is one simple idea. The no specialization is another. Allowing them to pull OLmen and/or hit the C is a third. What is NOT needed is to make it even easier by ending "the leap"

 

[Nehalem]

Still a BS flag on McClellin in the Super Bowl. If the refs calls that play right there is no OT.

Yes there is. Because instead of running a 2 pt conversion the Patriots would kick the XP and force overtime.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Still a BS flag on McClellin in the Super Bowl. If the refs calls that play right there is no OT.

Nah, they would have still been down by one point after the last TD and would have gone for the traditional one point PAT kick instead of having to go for the 2 pt conversion....

 

[bormio]

Still a BS flag on McClellin in the Super Bowl. If the refs calls that play right there is no OT.

Why? You think the Pats would have gone for 2 for the win instead of kicking the XP? The Pats would have gone for one XP and one 2 pt conversion if the game was 27-12.

 

[bormio]

Well since the Pats mastered the KO short of the goal line, we will just not have KOs anymore.